The shift from analog storage of media content to digital storage of media content has led to a rapid increase in the unauthorized distribution of media content. A consumer that purchases a single copy of media content can distribute the content to any number of other parties with little to no cost. In order to delay, discourage, and/or stop such distribution, media content producers and providers have searched for systems that will prevent unauthorized distribution without greatly affecting the ability of authorized holders of media content to enjoy that content. One method for preventing use or unauthorized distribution of media content is through technological access controls, which are often referred to as digital rights management (DRM).
User submitted content sites are websites (e.g., websites on the internet) that allow users to submit content that is made available to others via the website. For example, the website YouTube™ allows users to submit video content that is made available to the public via the website. User submitted content sites historically have not performed active monitoring of content uploaded to the website due to the difficulty in performing such monitoring and the amount of content submitted to the website. Rather, such websites typically only remove content that is not authorized for distribution when the content has been flagged by a user of the site or the site has received a letter from a content owner. Accordingly, user submitted content sites are often used for the distribution of media content that is not authorized for such distribution.